MADRID -- President Yoon Suk-yeol met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday and discussed cooperation in various sectors, including nuclear power and space, the presidential office said.

During the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Madrid, the two leaders agreed on the importance of nuclear energy in achieving carbon neutrality and promised to expand bilateral cooperation to ensure the safety of nuclear power generation and strengthen the competitiveness of the nuclear power industry, the office said.

Yoon and Macron also expressed hope for greater cooperation in space, including the development of small and medium-sized satellites.

Yoon asked for France's support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan, and Macron responded that he would make appropriate considerations.

On North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Yoon requested that France continue to take an interest in the issue as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Macron said he highly assesses the South Korean government's diplomatic efforts to achieve North Korea's complete denuclearization, and expressed his commitment to cooperating with South Korea to faithfully implement UN Security Council sanctions resolutions on the North.

Yoon also invited Macron to visit South Korea, the presidential office said. (Yonhap)